Over the past year, we have been developing survey chatbots as part of our Human Listening platform. We have noted the successes of this technology in many marketing applications, and feel there is great potential for this technology to fundamentally change how a lot of research is conducted.
We can't help but try to predict the future, especially when it comes to the application of new technologies. Who knew before the fact how radically our lives would transform due to the internet, computers, electricity and the industrial revolution? It seems the most recent development is the rise of AI and machine learning. Will this lead to a future like in Terminator and WALL-E, or something benign? We read about impressive advances such as game grandmasters beaten by AI, self-driving cars and using Alexa in the home. Naturally one might ask when we will have an AI that can beat chess grandmasters AND cook my pancakes? Most AI technology is quite specialised, and what we're referring to here is also known as 'General AI'. Unfortunately, this seems to be a long way off, but we can achieve a lot with focused effort in a single domain.